Pop-punk collided with Emo-rock and hit critical mass in the early 2000s with bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Saves The Day, New Found Glory and The Ataris taking over the airwaves all over the country. The trend seemed to die off culturally in the mid to late 2000s and seemed to head back underground by 2010. Enter Worcester, MA’s The Hotelier (previously called The Hotel Year) who seem to argue that melodic punk rock is not dead and very much alive. Their debut album It Never Goes Out hit in 2011 and has been a moderate success putting the band on the map and turning heads back toward this genre who some can argue has never left.

Pop-punk collided with Emo-rock and hit critical mass in the early 2000s with bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Saves The Day, New Found Glory and The Ataris taking over the airwaves all over the country. The trend seemed to die off culturally in the mid to late 2000s and seemed to head back underground by 2010. Enter Worcester, MA’s The Hotelier (previously called The Hotel Year) who seem to argue that melodic punk rock is not dead and very much alive. Their debut album It Never Goes Out hit in 2011 and has been a moderate success putting the band on the map and turning heads back toward this genre who some can argue has never left. The Hotelier is back in 2014 with Home, Like Noplace Is There; yet another album that will turn even more heads. Fans of the previously mentioned early 2000s bands can rejoice that a band has taken up the torch of emo-tinged/melodic-punk and has done it so well. In fact, The Hotelier adds on a layer of maturity and political/social leanings to the proceedings. Opening with an unexpectedly slow track titled “An Introduction To The Album” the band makes a statement that there is more beneath the surface than just a melodic punk collection of songs, in fact much more emotion and thoughtfulness is apparent on this album than on their previous effort. Amongst memorable hooks and catchy sing-alongs, the lyrics represent a darker and more serious tone. For example the song “Your Deep Rest” caught me off guard with these lyrics: “I called in sick from your funeral / tradition of closure made it feel impossible… / I should have never kept my word to you / Not a cry not a sound / Might’ve learned how to swim but never taught how to drown /You said remember me for me, I need to set my spirit free.” These lyrics cut me to the bone and added deeper meaning to an otherwise catchy rock song. This style is used in most of The Hotelier’s songs on the album. Each track is politically driven via personal experience and emotion. This makes it hard to write off The Hotelier as some band trying to ride the coattails of semi-forgotten genre. The blend of melodic punk with more cathartic emo tendencies makes Home, Like Noplace Is There an album worth listening to and dissecting.

Music Review – The Hotelier “Home, Like Noplace Is There”

Music Review – The Hotelier “Home, Like Noplace Is There”

2014-04-17

Sean Duregger

The Hotelier

Home, Like Noplace Is There

80

Highly Recommended

The blend of melodic punk with more cathartic emo tendencies makes Home, Like Noplace Is There an album worth listening to and dissecting.

In 2007 I discovered the band Medicated Kisses and fell in love with singer Alanna Quinn-Broadus‘ amazing voice. I was positive they were going to hit it big and they had the momentum to do so. Much to my surprise, the band broke up after the release of their fantastic EP in 2008. When doing research for this episode of the Retro Edition, I was happy to discover that Alanna’s soulful voice is still going strong with Alanna Royale. Here is my 2007 interview with Alanna.

Brian Jackson keeps busy in many aspects of the Music Business with his PR Company The Awareness Group, but recently he got involved with The Fastback Sessions: a documentary series showcasing the talent in the Northwest with invite only acoustic performances mixed with live video/audio recordings.

When I started to broaden my horizons away from punk rock, I latched on to more melodic emo bands such as The Appleseed Cast and American Football. As I dug more into the emo scene, I knew I was supposed to like bands such as Cap’n Jazz and Joan Of Arc, but I never fully got into them. So for me, a new Owls album is already a tough sell. I didn’t care much for their 2001 release on Jade Tree Records, so I met this long awaited follow-up with shrugs. Owls probably won’t gain many new fans with Two but fans of Cap’n Jazz, Joan Of Arc and Owls’ previous effort will love this album.

When I started to broaden my horizons away from punk rock, I latched on to more melodic emo bands such as The Appleseed Cast and American Football. As I dug more into the emo scene, I knew I was supposed to like bands such as Cap’n Jazz and Joan Of Arc, but I never fully got into them. So for me, a new Owls album is already a tough sell. I didn’t care much for their 2001 release on Jade Tree Records, so I met this long awaited follow-up with shrugs. Owls probably won’t gain many new fans with Two but fans of Cap’n Jazz, Joan Of Arc and Owls’ previous effort will love this album. What I can respect with Owls (and all of Tim Kinsella, Mike Kinsella, Victor Villarreal, and Sam Zurick’s projects) is the lo-fi and simple approach they’ve maintained throughout the years. If you’ve listened to anything they’ve been involved with (including Owen, Joan of Arc, Make Believe, and Ghosts and Vodka) you won’t find over-complicated production. In fact, Tim Kinsella remarks, “The line ‘We’ve never had nice stuff’ (in the song “Ancient Stars Seed”) feels good to sing because we really are still a grubby foursome with broken equipment and no money and I see these shitty young bands every day with pedal boards and no ideas.” In fact, what we’re seeing with Owls’ Two is a growth of ideas and theme, but not a shift or sacrifice in production quality. The album sounds exactly like you’d expect it to. If you were a fan of Owls’ 2001 self titled release, Two is a fantastic follow up. The band doesn’t seem to have missed a beat in 13 years, in fact Two seems to have a pinch of energy their original release lacked. The production is crisp, clean and full of life. With Two, I believe the band has accomplished what they set out to do: to return with an album that long time fans of all these members’ projects will appreciate and love.

Music Review – Owls, “Two”

Music Review – Owls, “Two”

2014-03-28

Sean Duregger

Owls – Two

Album

70

Recommended

With Two, I believe Owls has accomplished what they set out to do: to return with an album that long time fans of all these members’ projects will appreciate and love.